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Honda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New York

The Civic Type R was the worst kept secret in recent hot hatch history, partly because Honda has a cool tradition of 99%-accurate preview concepts. But this white thing is the production car for 2018, and you can check it out in New York.
Honda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New York 15 photos
Photo: Newspress USA
Honda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New YorkHonda Civic Type R Oozes Fake Carbon and 306 HP in New York
We don't know why we're so surprised that the Type R is covered in fake carbon fiber and fake air intakes. It was only natural for the designers to do that. When you compare it to the latest Audi or Volvo, it looks cheesy, but Honda is right on the money.

People who spend $30,000 on a manual hot hatch want the crazy wings and big wheels. They don't want their grandma's shopping cart, which is what the Civic Type R used to look like decades ago.

But underneath all the boy racer stuff is solid engineering, a track performer that deserves a crown of some sort. Unlike the previous Type R, the one you couldn't buy in America, it's got an independent rear suspension and adaptive shocks. The chassis is stiffer, the tires stickier and the brakes bigger.

The only place where you don't get more is under the hood because the U.S.-spec model is slightly de-tuned to 306 horsepower due to the fuel that's available. But that's still more than the Golf R.

Why does it have three exhaust pipes, like a Ferrari 458 Italia? Well, the one in the middle creates a deeper tone at low revs and reduces the boom effect of a high-strung four-cylinder at higher rpm. The view under the hood is what many hot hatch fans have been waiting to see for years. As standard, the intake pipe is huge, and the engine cover makes you want to take selfies with it. It's got VTEC too, but not the kind that kicks in at 7,000rpm.

And it's not like they stripped everything out to get the best lap times. The standard 7-inch infotainment comes with navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto integration, plus a connection to 540 watts of premium audio.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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